Avatar Drabbles: Missing Moments
by Kimberly T
Summary: 100-word glimpses of missing scenes and off-screen moments within the series.
1. Restoring Balance

**Avatar Drabbles:**

**Missing Moments**

By Kimberly T.

100-word glimpses of missing scenes and off-screen moments within the series

**Restoring Balance**

_Results of a missing moment from 'The Day of Black Sun, Part 1' _

Song stared at the document in her hands, confused. A line of credit at the local ostrich-horse dealer's, enough for the finest mount they sold? Who would just _give_ her this, and why?

Then the courier handed over a letter. She opened it to read:

_You took in two desperate strangers, gave them healing, food and comfort… and your kindness was repaid with betrayal. I stole your ostrich-horse, and I'm sorry._

_Now I'm joining a group trying to restore balance to the world… but I also need to balance the scales for my own life._

_Zuko (once known as Lee)_


	2. Lies and Truths

**Lies and Truths**

_missing from 'The Great Divide'_

The Gan-Jin scribe whispered to his leader, "Sir, the Avatar lied to us!"

"Hush."

"But he did! We had records dating back 300 years about the sacred orb! It wasn't just some child's toy! And I've read records of protests from the Zhang, while Wei Jin was imprisoned!"

"And you're one of the few people who can read. Kindly keep quiet about this."

"But--"

"Yes, the Avatar lied. But the hard truth is, now we _need_ allies to survive. And thanks to that lie, the Zhang are willing to end the feud if we are. So say nothing..."


	3. Strategist

**Strategist**

_missing from 'The Waterbending Scroll'_

Iroh watched Zuko angrily fling his White Lotus tile into the river, and silently sighed. Those tiles were indeed hard to find… which is why he had three more hidden in his quarters, just in case. Better that Zuko express some of his pent-up anger now, on his apparently foolish uncle, than take it out on his crew; they were already grumbling about the mission, and Zuko's attitude.

The information he'd received from the tsungi horn shopkeeper, another White Lotus contact, was disturbing. Zhao was rising in Ozai's favor, despite his recent conflicts with Zuko –and possibly because of them…


	4. Unnoticed

**Unnoticed**

_missing from 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'_

As they walked back to their house in the Upper Ring, Toph tried to put that mocking laughter out of her head. What those girls thought about her wasn't important, anyway.

But what would Sokka think of how she looked now? Would he… _notice_ her?

Not that she needed a boyfriend! Not Toph, the Tough! And besides, she'd overheard what he and Suki had said to each other.

But still… maybe…

When they got back, Sokka and Aang were playing Pai Sho. Aang saw Katara, and almost tipped over the board.

Sokka just looked, shrugged and went back to playing.


	5. Favors

**Favors**

_Missing from end of 'The Siege of the North, Part 2'_

The part of the Moon Spirit that was Yue looked upon her new / always inhuman lover, Ocean, and saw a tiny raft adrift on the surface; two people clinging to life.

The old man on the raft was Fire Nation, but he had tried to _help_, not hurt. For his sake, she tugged and nudged her lover to help…

The waters under the raft always had schools of fish swimming in them.

Gentle rains fell briefly and frequently, bringing fresh water.

And the currents carried the raft to a safe shore in the Earth Kingdom. _**Enough Favors, **_Ocean declared.


	6. Changing a Life

**Changing a Life**

_missing from 'Sozin's Comet, Part 1'_

"…Worst field trip ever," Toph sighed.

Zuko paused, then turned to her again. "Look, Toph, I'm not nearly as wise as my uncle, but I know this: If you want your life to change for the better, **you** have to change it. No one else can do it for you. On those 'life-changing field trips' with Sokka and then Katara, I helped out, sure, but _they_ started the action."

"Well… that makes sense, but… what about my parents?"

"You could face them, for a start. Tell them how you feel…"

"…"

"_**After**_ we find Aang, and save the world."

"Yeah!"


	7. Gaucherie

**Gaucherie**

_missing moment from early in the second season_

When Pakku and the other Northern Water Tribesmen arrived, the Southern Water Tribe had a great feast to welcome the visitors. More rejoicing erupted when Pakku announced that he would use his waterbending abilities to rebuild their great ice walls and buildings, and would be staying to maintain them!

And when he could get a moment alone with Kana, he coughed and said, "Since your granddaughter is wearing your old betrothal necklace… I made you a new one," as he offered it to her.

"You just… made it for me, eh?" Kana glared at him, shook her head and walked away.


	8. Finally

**Finally**

_missing moments from mid-2__nd__ season_

Pakku was frustrated.

He'd spent weeks using his waterbending abilities to rebuild the great ice walls and central buildings for the Southern Water Tribe, till the village was once again a small city, well-protected.

But Kana, the woman he'd never stopped loving, _still_ refused to accept the new betrothal necklace he'd made for her! He could tell that she was interested, but… what would it _**take**_?!

Then a child suggested, "You should ask her real nice; say 'pretty please', and stuff."

So he did.

And as she accepted, she asked with a twinkle in her eye, "What took you so long?"


	9. Always

**Always**

_missing from 'The Southern Raiders'_

Sokka knelt alone in the moonlit clearing, staring upwards as he whispered.

"Yue… listen, I think you understand already about me and Suki, but if not… well, I'm sorry, and I'll always love you, but… I need someone who can be _with_ me, and I don't figure I'll ever turn into the Ocean Spirit …. Anyway. This isn't about me; it's about Katara. I couldn't go with her to face the bastard that killed our mom; _Zuko_ has to be the one to help her, or she'll never stop seeing him as the enemy. So… watch over Katara for me, please?"


	10. Gansu

**Gansu**

_missing from the end of 'Zuko Alone'_

Gansu found Sensu, as he was being discharged from the army; he'd been wounded and left for dead when his battalion had been captured. His son was still weak and would forever walk with a limp, but he was _alive_; that's all that mattered.

When they returned home, Gansu learned what that unnamed teenager had done after he'd left. Saved Lee from the thugs in town… and revealed his true identity.

That night, at the family shrine, Gansu spoke of Zuko. "Spirits… he's Fire Nation. But he saved my youngest**.**

…I could tell he's lost. Help him find his way."


	11. Touching

**Touching**

_moment missing from 'The Boiling Rock, Part 1 / Part 2'_

Toph never said it, but Teo… bothered her. Because she couldn't sense him, most of the time. Oh, she could hear his voice, but the rest of him… a crazy cart-chair, rolling across the floor; that was it!

Then one day the guys were looking over a diagram on paper; Teo's idea for a temple modification. Toph made her usual sarcastic joke about how it looked just fine to her.

"Sorry, I forgot! Haru, make a pedestal?" Teo asked. Then Teo laid the paper on the earthen pedestal, and traced over the diagram with his finger.

Teo had nice hands…


	12. BestLaid Plans

Best-Laid Plans

_A scene missing from the flashback in 'Zuko Alone', from Azula's POV_

Daddy's plan had worked! Grandfather had told Daddy he'd be punished by watching Zuko become Iroh's son and heir, but then Daddy would _never_ become Fire Lord! So he'd lied about losing Zuko to execution instead of adoption, and Azula had played her part to help make Mom believe it. Azulon's killer had to be Mom; murderers couldn't inherit the throne. She'd be banished for awhile, but Daddy said she'd be okay.

Spying from shadows, Azula watched Mom go into Zuko's room to tell him goodbye. She scurried to her own room and under the covers to wait…

Mom never came.


	13. Near Miss

**Near Miss**

_missing from after 'The Cave of Two Lovers'_

Two days after the theft, Fire Nation troops riding komodo-rhinos came into Song's village, their weapons and cruel grins daring anyone to resist them.

Someone pointed them to the clinic, and their leader showed Song two wanted posters with recognizable images as he demanded, "Did you give aid and comfort to these fugitives?"

Before she could say anything, her mother said with unfeigned outrage, "Those two! They stole our only ostrich-horse!"

"Oh, really?" The leader was amused. "Then perhaps you've suffered enough already." And they left.

Forever after, Song wondered if 'Lee' had known they would need to hate him.


	14. Jin Knows

**Jin Knows**

a missing moment from 'Tales of Ba Sing Se'

Lee told her "don't peek", but Jin peeked… and was silently thrilled to have confirmed, the suspicion she'd had ever since she'd first seen his gold eyes. He was a firebender! A deserter from the Fire Nation army, who had chosen to live here in poverty rather than fight a war he didn't believe in. Poor guy…

When Lee said "It's complicated," she wanted to tell him that she understood… but a silhouette suddenly appeared on a rooftop. A Dai Li, drawn by the fountain's lanterns being lit on an off night. Heart pounding in fear, Jin silently let him go.


	15. The Father

**The Father**

When Bato reached the rendezvous, he got a warm welcome from the Water Tribe warriors there, just returned from another foray against Fire Nation ships. He greeted them all, before asking to speak to Hakoda privately.

Later, Hakoda stared at Bato in shock. "My children? We'd heard that the Avatar had returned, but… Sokka and Katara? Fighting with _the Avatar_? No; they're far _too young_…"

"Young, yes, but not as young as you remember," Bato said quietly. "They've grown, in the past two years."

Hakoda leaned closer, his face yearning. "Tell me how they look now; everything they said! Everything…"


	16. Ideals versus Reality

**Ideals versus Reality**

_a missing moment from 'Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King'_

It's late night, hours since the argument with Aang over killing Ozai, and Sokka is still fretting over how to make his friend see the light. If only the people that raised Aang hadn't been _monks_, always saying 'all life is sacred' and never killing anything, even—

Waitaminnit.

Sokka remembered the skeleton of Monk Gyatso, Aang's mentor, at the Southern Air Temple… surrounded by Fire Nation skeletons. Those soldiers hadn't died of old age…

Maybe pointing that out to Aang would get him over his problem. Sokka resolved to talk to him… in the morning. He yawned, and went to sleep.


	17. Silence

**Silence**

_Moments missing not from 'Return to Omashu', but from years before those events…_

When Mai cried as a child, her parents hushed her. When she laughed aloud, she was hushed again.

Be _quiet_.

Sit still.

_Behave_. Don't dishonor your family.

Then Tom-Tom was born.

Loud, noisy Tom-Tom. When _he_ cried, their mother fussed and coddled him until he stopped crying. When _he_ laughed, their father did more of whatever had him laughing.

Why did they love him more than her? It wasn't _fair_…

When Azula asked if Tom-Tom was a fair trade for Bumi, the temptation was too great:

"The deal's off."

She regretted it immediately, but never said so.

Especially not to them.


	18. Not Forgotten

**Not Forgotten**

_missing from 'The Awakening'_

Everyone aboard their captured Fire Nation ship was going nuts with worry over Aang, and Sokka was no exception. Flying off while still injured, and the last thing Aang had said was that he had to face the Fire Lord alone! Was the idiot gliding to the Fire Nation capital right now?

_No. He is on Crescent Island, the former site of the Fire Sages' temple._

"Crescent Island," Sokka said aloud in relief. Then, "How did I know that?"

Something made him look up, at the moon shining silently down on him.

He gave a pained smile, whispering, "Thanks, Yue."


	19. So That's What It Takes

**So That's What It Takes**

_a missing moment from 'Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse.'_

_(A/N: This presupposes that Azula didn't tell Ozai the details of her failure to capture Zuko and Iroh in the second-season opener; because Azula never admits to failure.)_

Zuko turned and ran, out of the bunker; off to join the Avatar.

Ozai knew he should shout for the guards to give chase, but he could only stand and stare.

Zuko had _caught the lightning and thrown it back at him_. Impossible!

But that weak, despicable failure… just kept doing the impossible. First, finding the Avatar when everyone thought him gone forever. Now…

Azula's bending was perfection itself, but his daughter had never invented any new forms; even using her firebending to fly short distances had been done before.

_His son_ had invented a new form for bending lightning…

.

_A/N 2: No, it didn't last long. Thirty seconds later he started shouting for the guards to hunt Zuko down. _


	20. Almost an InLaw

**Almost an In-Law**

_(missing moments from The Siege of the North)_

Arnook loved his daughter. So when he realized Yue had fallen in love with Sokka, he made the teenager her bodyguard. He knew that despite his orders to stay safe, Yue's sense of duty to her people would lead her into harm's way. But if Sokka saved her life, then Arnook could declare him a Great Hero, eligible to challenge for her…

But then the old vision finally, horribly came true.

Afterwards, Arnook decided not to tell Sokka what he'd planned. If the lad thought Yue had always been as out of reach as the moon, perhaps it would hurt less.


	21. Always Hoping

**Always Hoping**

_another missing moment from 'Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse.'_

He'd been too late! Iroh had escaped on his own, before Zuko could free him and beg his forgiveness.

Zuko wanted badly to find his uncle, but he knew training the Avatar in firebending had to come first. Running out of the prison, he spotted a lone sandal lying on the steps…

-sniff- _Ugghh_… definitely Uncle's.

Had it been dropped deliberately; an unspoken message? Iroh encouraging his nephew to track him, as when he'd been captured by earthbenders?

Zuko knew his uncle would never forgive him so easily, after everything he'd done. But he took the sandal with him anyway.


	22. The Binding

**The Binding**

_More moments missing not from an episode, but from years before the series started. _

_Inspired by clockworkchaos' awesome, haunting story __**Life Bound.**_

Little Toph eavesdropped on her parents in growing horror. Her mother wanted to send for a professional foot binder to begin _breaking her feet_, reshaping them into tiny lotus-like feet to make her more marriageable!

But her father had doubts. He'd heard that some girls _died_ in the process; would their weak, blind daughter survive it?

She couldn't let them break her feet; it would wreck her earthbending, make her blind again! So Toph immediately started acting even _more_ fragile; her health too delicate to even consider foot-binding.

Bound by her deception, she couldn't be _herself _anymore… but she could _see_.


	23. Before He Was Momo

**Before He Was Momo**

Mothers all told their younglings that once there had been many BigOnes and GreatOnes living with their clan in harmony; then FireOnes had come and killed many-many, till only a few clan members survived.

When more FireOnes came, the clan hid in terror. One foraged in the temple, hot and angry (and stupid; anyone could smell there was no food left there.) Another walked in the orchard, plucking fruit from their trees without challenge.

A year later, a GreatOne came with three BigOnes. The clan hid again, thinking better safe than sorry. But SoftNose remembered the stories, and followed them…


	24. They've Gone Too Far

**They've Gone Too Far**

_A moment missing from after 'Jet'_

The day after the flood, the wife of Gaipan's village blacksmith kissed her children goodbye, then marched out into the forest. When she reached the right clearing and sensed eyes watching her, she stopped and shouted, "You 'Freedom Fighters!' I'm told you have orphaned children with you. Every child under the age of ten has _one hour_ to collect their things, say goodbye and come with me! I'm taking you to the orphanage in An Quán.

"The rest of you have _four_ hours to disband, and leave this forest… before my husband tells the soldiers exactly where to find you!"


	25. They Will Remember

**They Will Remember**

_moments missing from 'The Waterbending Master'_

Admiral Zhao had commandeered the entire crew, claiming they were needed for the invasion… but then they were stuck on a coal barge far to the rear of the fleet, and told to just not run into anyone.

Then one of the frigates coming to them for refueling passed along the news that their old ship had been blown up, and Prince Zuko was dead.

That sunset, the crew held a wake for their former captain. "He was a hot-tempered kid, who could have been a fine leader in time," Lieutenant Jee declared gruffly. "Agni, guide his spirit home at last…"


	26. The Better Part of Valor

**The Better Part of Valor**

_missing moments from "The Siege of the North, Part II"_

When the full moon suddenly turned red, the crewmen standing watch on their coal barge woke up Lieutenant Jee. He scowled upwards, then ordered four men to stand ready to instantly sever the connections to the floating coal beds behind them.

Soon after the moon turned black, Jee spotted a bluish glow barely visible on the horizon; he ordered the barges cut off, and all power to the engines. Their ship was turned around and heading south at full speed by the time the enraged Ocean Spirit reached the fleet.

When they returned, searching for survivors, they found only thirty-seven…


	27. Leaving Well Enough Alone

**Leaving Well Enough Alone**

_Moment missing from between 'The Boiling Rock, Part 2' and 'The Southern Raiders'_

Hakoda watched Katara shout angrily at Zuko for seemingly no reason, and wondered if he should pull her aside for a father-daughter talk, to find out what her problem with Zuko was. Then he'd tell her she should be kinder to him; yes, the lad was a firebender, but Hakoda could tell he was loyal, helpful with everyone, kind and not too bad-looking—

Waitaminute. He really wasn't bad-looking, even with the scar. In fact, Hakoda thought girls might find him handsome… _a handsome prince_.

On second thought, it was better that _Hakoda's little girl_ just stayed mad at that boy…


	28. A Dish Best Served Cold

**A Dish Best Served Cold**

_a moment missing from 'Sozin's Comet, Part IV: Avatar Aang'_

Katara stared through the prison bars at Ozai, the ex-Firelord. By taking away his firebending, Aang had removed his right to rule by Fire Nation sacred law. Now, he was truly powerless.

Katara had been busy healing the wounded when Ozai had been brought back and imprisoned. Now she looked at him for the first time, this human monster who had caused so much death, pain and suffering…

Since Aang hadn't killed Ozai, she didn't either. But with a smirk, she iced over the cell floor and froze the now non-bender's dinner tray solid; even petty revenge could be satisfying.


	29. Hope At Last

**Hope At Last**

_moment missing from 'Crossroads of Destiny'_

Xin Fu wished that rescue had come _before_ Yu had emptied his bladder… but at least now the stranger who'd come along was driving their cart to the nearest town with a blacksmith, so they could be freed from the now stinking metal box Toph had trapped them in.

Salvation came with a price, of course. "Remember our deal!" their rescuer reminded them as they began hearing noises from the town they were approaching.

"Oh, absolutely!" Yu called out. "In return for taking us to a blacksmith, we'll buy all your stock… I'm sure your radishes will taste delicious!"

"My _cabbages_!"


	30. He Means Well

**He Means Well**

_a moment missing from early in the 3rd Season_

Haru was overjoyed to have his father back in his life! Really, he was! It was _wonderful_ to be earthbending side-by-side with him again.

But Haru could've done without some of the questions Tyro was asking, getting to know him again after so long apart. Like the questions about girlfriends…

When Hakoda showed up and asked for their help in an invasion of the Fire Nation, they jumped at the chance. But Haru quietly groaned when Tyro told Hakoda, "Your daughter Katara is an impressive young lady… Tell me, what are your plans for her when this war is over?"


	31. That Other Necklace

**That Other Necklace**

_(missing moment from 'The Fortuneteller')_

It had been very sweet of Aang to make her a necklace, to cheer her up about losing her mother's necklace, even if this one was made out of Sokka's fishing line. (The responsible one of the trio, Katara mentally added 'fishing line' to the list of things they'd need to buy soon.)

The necklace was pretty, and Aang said it looked great on her. But soon the flower at its center began wilting, and the woven design around the flower started unraveling; it just hadn't been made to last. She quietly took it off before they reached Makapu Village.


	32. Suitable Punishment

**Suitable Punishment**

None of the few survivors from the Fire Nation military knew just what had happened to end the Siege of the North. But the Water Tribe spy they'd cultivated years ago, sent a message out recounting what Zuko, Zhao and Iroh had done.

Fire Lord Ozai declared Iroh a traitor, and Zuko a failure. But Zhao, who'd tried to kill the Moon Spirit in his insane ambition to be remembered forever … Ozai declared Zhao _expunged_. His name was blotted out in every record, and forbidden to be said aloud.

In another generation, no one would remember him at all.


	33. The Magician's Assistant

**The Magician's Assistant**

_(missing moment from just before "The Avatar and the Firelord")_

Getting the first message out had been difficult… but now it was easy for Piandao's butler, Fat, to walk past the guards in the prison tower to see the Grand Lotus Iroh. All he'd had to do was change his uniform to match the others who walked in and out; he knew the mannerisms of a faceless servant well already.

Fat delivered to Iroh a bundle containing an ancient hair ornament, and a scroll about Piandao's latest student. Iroh thanked him, then gave him a scroll in return, saying, "This must be delivered to Prince Zuko's rooms in the palace."


	34. The Royal Artifact

**The Royal Artifact**

_Missing moments from a flashback in "The Avatar and the Firelord", and the second drabble resolving the mystery of how Iroh got his hands on Roku's headpiece. Roku's wife beat him to the bedroom door, but emerged from the house after him:_

Even as they woke up and started running for safety, Ta Min knew what was happening, and had a hunch that the volcanic eruption would destroy their home despite Roku's best efforts. She dashed back into the bedroom they'd just ran out of, to grab their strongbox of cash from under the floorboards, and Roku's headpiece from where it had fallen nearby.

A month later she sadly traded the priceless headpiece along with most of the money, for a house on another island. As he promised to help the widow with home repairs, the seller handed her a lotus tile...


	35. Testing

**Testing**

_(Missing moments from "Nightmares and Daydreams")_

Ozai watched through the spyhole as his generals filed into the war room and took their usual places. Azula came in, eyed the two cushions placed to either side of his throne where there had been only one to his right for the past few years… then sat on the cushion to the left, passing her own silent test.

By the meeting's starting time, Zuko still had not shown up. Not intruding when he'd not been specifically invited; he'd passed the first test of respect. Ozai strode in, then demanded Zuko be found and brought in before the meeting started.


	36. Perpetuating Mistakes

**Perpetuating Mistakes**

(_A moment missing from "Sozin's Comet Part 2: The Old Masters_". _Inspired by a conversation with the amazing and awesome Emletish!_)

While the youngsters settled into their camp, Piandao pulled Pakku aside and gave him a hard frown. "You're making a mistake, so obviously favoring Katara over Sokka."

Pakku gave him a sharp look in return. "And what business is it of yours?"

Then he remembered what Jeong Jeong had let slip once about Piandao's childhood, while drinking together after a White Lotus meeting years ago. The world's greatest swordsman and lord of Shu Jing had been rejected by his bending parents, put out for adoption, for being a non-bender.

Pakku looked away, muttering, "All right, I'll let him call me Gran-Pakku…"


	37. Running Waters, Running Jokes

**Running Waters, Running Jokes**

_A missing moment from "Jet," inspired by the screenshot with a certain cartload of produce at the edge of the picture when the floodwaters came rushing in_…

Gaipan didn't have any earthbending guards, pirates or Avatar living there, and in his experience Fire Nation people ate vegetables just like everyone else, so he'd trundled his cart into the heart of town and began happily selling his wares.

But then that Water Tribe boy had come running in, shouting, and the Fire Nation troops commander had ordered an immediate evacuation! And he'd been ordered to leave his cart behind; the hills outside the village were too steep for bringing it.

The roar of the dam breaking and the floodwaters rushing past drowned out his despairing cry: "_My cabbages_!"


	38. Plum Blossoms For Flavoring

**Plum Blossoms for Flavoring**

_A missing moment from directly after "The Blue Spirit." This one was written mainly to plug a plot hole in a later episode, "The Fortuneteller"; Jun's shirshu pausing somewhere that only Aang, not Katara, had been seen visiting._

Afterwards, Katara asked Aang to take them to the herbalist institute. She wanted to talk to the herbalist living there and trade the fancy trinkets Momo had found for some useful herbs; seasonings and medicines.

At the institute, Katara bartered with the herbalist while Aang played with her pet Miyuki, but Sokka just poked around, bored and hungry again. He found a bowlful of something that smelled good, and discovered that it tasted good too! But then Aang said hesitantly, "Uh, Sokka? You're eating her cat's food."

Sokka paused, then shrugged and went back to eating; it still tasted pretty good!


	39. They Tried

**They Tried**

_Not really a missing moment, but another perspective on a scene from "Imprisoned":_

The patrolmen had been planning to just ignore the teenagers' argument, until the girl start shouting about earthbending.

They glanced uncertainly at each other, as duty warred with decency. They had orders to arrest all earthbenders… but this one was just a _girl_. And they'd heard stories of what happened to young women on those prison barges…

Then the idiot girl earthbent a boulder, right in front of them! In sudden desperation, Private Hao pointed at a nearby animal and shouted, "That lemur! It's earthbending!" But when even the natives said it was the girl instead, they regretfully arrested her.


	40. Liars

**Liars**

_a missing moment from 'The Firebending Masters'_

Katara insisted that Zuko couldn't be trusted to take Aang alone to those Sun Warrior ruins. It was probably another one of that traitorous firebender's traps to capture the Avatar! Fortunately, Aang and Toph agreed with her suspicions. They decided that the best option was to have both Katara and Toph accompany them on the journey, right after breakfast…

But when Katara came out of the kitchen with the morning jook, Toph sweetly informed her that Aang and Zuko had grabbed some apples and left on Appa without breakfast.

Katara refused to believe it had all been Aang's idea.


	41. Staring Over the Edge

**Staring Over the Edge**

_A missing moment from sometime before the third-season premiere episode, written because somebody had to bring this up at least once. It was a real struggle to pare this down to 100 words; I ended up cutting out most of the Hakoda-Bato bro-mance…_

Hakoda stared after the departing pair, the boy riding on the giant's shoulders, before leaning back against the wall with a groan. "I just agreed to let _The Duke_ join our invasion force. We went to war to _protect_ our children from the Fire Nation's cruelty, but now Katara and Sokka are fighting, and the Avatar is a twelve-year-old, and now… that boy's not even _ten_!"

After a pause, Hakoda looked at Bato and said plaintively, "You'll stop me, right? If I go completely insane and start allowing _toddlers_ to pick up weapons and fight firebenders, you'll stop me, won't you?"


	42. Repurposing

**Repurposing**

_A missing moment from many years, even decades before the start of the series_

_That_ tribe had made Kanna put on, at sixteen, a betrothal necklace… a collar with her future owner's tag.

_This_ tribe has no such custom. But for all their pretty words of courtship, many men here still don't respect women as equals.

She's worn the necklace for too long already, a reminder to never go back that she no longer needs; this tribe is her home now. For her daughter Kya's sixteenth birthday, Kanna takes the necklace off and gives it to her. "Here, Kya… and remember always, you belong to _yourself_."

"What, Mom?"

"Never mind, dear. I'll explain someday…"


End file.
